Florida Board of Governors Student Achievement Subcommittee Paul E. Lingenfelter April 21, 2004

1. Florida Board of Governors Student Achievement Subcommittee Paul E. Lingenfelter April 21, 2004 Accountability in Higher Education The View from 35,000 feet

2. Florida 1971 educational accountability act Florida “Fact Book” from 1968-69 Handbook of Academic Evaluation, Paul L. Dressel, Jossey-Bass, 1976 Accountability has been around for a long time

3. So what’s new? • Old Expectation • 20% to 30% educated to BA level • Student mostly (entirely) responsible for student learning • New Expectation • 50% to 60% educated to BA level • Schools and colleges also (mostly) responsible for student learning

4. Clarity about our goals Building student engagement and capacity Re-orientating the teaching process From assessment for sorting and selecting Toward assessment for successful learning What will such unprecedented attainment require?

5. The world’s highest quality system of higher education, with Very high levels of successful participation The Goal: Accountability is a means toward this end.

6. Widely different learning goals Different student populations Decentralized decision-making Hard to measure outcomes Critical thinking Creativity Professional judgment Why is accountability hard in higher education?

7. Reducing standards to the easy Conceding too much / or too little to professional judgment Too many measures, too many goals Over-centralization, homogenization Where are the biggest pitfalls?

8. Performance reporting and funding Assessment of learning on campus Assessment of learning environments What is being tried?

9. Papering the files Weak connections between policy goals and institutional practice Formulaic pitfalls Performance reporting and funding – why do they under-perform?

10. Professional exams College learning exams CAAP and WorkKeys Graduate record exams National Adult Literacy Survey Collegiate Learning Assessment Assessment of Learning

11. National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) Assessment of learning environments

12. Assessment: Tools to evaluate performance Accountability: Communicating performance in terms of goals The Goal: Increase access and close achievement gaps without diminishing quality “Public Accountability for Student Learning”New report of the Business Higher Education Forum

13. K-12 Standards assessment All pupils taught to same standard Centralized curriculum and assessment Assessment and accountability easily connected “Public Accountability for Student Learning”

14. “Public Accountability for Student Learning” K-12 approach not workable for higher education “A single system, integrated through a common vocabulary with common metrics, [is] neither practical nor appropriate, given the diversity and decentralization of American higher education.” p.22

15. “Public Accountability for Student Learning” “There are multiple actors involved in accountability for quality in higher education. Each entity should do what it does best and with greatest legitimacy. Duplication of effort should be avoided.” p.23

16. “Public Accountability for Student Learning” • Institutional Responsibilities • Set goals for learning appropriate to mission • Assess results • Communicate goals and results • p. 24

17. “Public Accountability for Student Learning” • State Responsibilities • Set statewide goals for learning across all sectors • Require sector-level learning assessments • Focus on cross-sector student flow • Promote public evaluation of statewide and institutional results p.24

18. Focus attention on a few important results at each level of the system Establish ambitious standards of quality Be vertically integrated, without top-down control What will a good accountability system do? One

19. Engage the creativity and initiative of people whose work affects performance Emphasize improving performance / monitor results Celebrate achievement, address gaps What will a good accountability system do? Two

20. Florida Board of Governors Student Achievement Subcommittee Paul E. Lingenfelter April 21, 2004 Accountability in Higher Education The View from 35,000 feet

21. Getting a lot closer, this is my first grandchild!